A New Dawn
by Daine Salamin
Summary: Second to my Protecting You, though a stand alone. Jiro and Mimiko's daughter is kidnapped by an old foe and it's up to Uncle Zelman to retrieve her. But who is this mysterious woman that decides to tag along and why does she have the Asura blood? Who is she and why does Zelman seem to burn for her?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Dawn

Zelman Clock lounged on his throne as the torches flickered around the dark room of his chambers. He gazed longingly into the fire thinking about the events of that cold foggy night as the flames flickered and snapped within the hearth, creating monstrous shadows upon the walls. It was Mika's birthday, her tenth, marking the anniversary of the Kowloon attack. Jiro and Mimiko were proud parents who doted on their daughter and were so in love with each other that it made Zelmans' chest ache. He felt the ache more so now than ever. He was growing tired of his existence and should be finding those worthy of becoming descendants or finding his mate.

He smirked at that thought. Ha! Mate! That was a laugh. The Asura bloodline was very specific in who became ones mate. For one thing, mates had to be from the Asura bloodline, and if that wasn't hard enough, this bloodline rarely had women. There was one female born out of every fifty males and not many humans survived a turning. Several males were mated to one female, which would lead to fights to the death; this caused Zelman to be one of the last few surviving of the clan. A yellowish glow that surrounds the pair whenever they first contact each other also helps clue them in, sadly this light is only seen once in their lifetime and many miss that precious moment. Mates have the urge to be together and have sex whenever around the other, which is confused with lust. If mates end up ignoring the attraction and urges while near one another, they begin to burn from the inside out and their sexual urges become stronger. Their powers begin to weaken and they fall ill. If they are apart, they are significantly weaker than before they found one another. But if the two come together, their powers merge and become stronger than the two could ever be individually.

He sighed in melancholy once again. He had thought he'd met his mate once long ago but that had ended in a total disaster. The woman he loved had run to another vampire and became his lover right in front of him. But the worst of it was, the vampire she had gone to had been Zelman's second in command and one of his closest friends, or so he had thought. It had hurt him worse than any wound he had physically received to his body. Their betrayal still haunted him to this day and he knew he would never forgive them. The next time he saw them, their blood would run in rivers down his hands as he tore them to pieces. He growled at the thought and quickly reached over to the stand next to him. A bottle of pills lay there with a glass of blood. Taking one he quickly downed it along with the glass, his red eyes glowing in the light of the fire.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed to slits and slid to the right, the fire from the grate highlighting the small line of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he stared at the curtained window. He felt a malicious power growing closer to the Special Zone and wondered if Sei had even noticed. While both he and Kotaro had grown into their mature bodies, Seis' powers had been more focused on the barrier protecting the Special Zone, so focused, in fact, that he tended to overlook some of the dangers that presented themselves within and outside. The malicious threat had steadily grown closer the past few days seeming to grow stronger in power as it drew near. He sat up as he felt the power spike significantly and stood walking stealthily to the window and drawing back the curtains to glare out at the pre-dawn fog surrounding the city. He cursed once again. The maliciousness would be nearing the bridge soon.

Letting the curtain slide back into place he sauntered out of his rooms, "I'm going out Saiyuka." He said to his secretary, who bolted to her feet as the door to his chambers slammed and locked behind him.

"Where? Master Zelman?" she asked her voice slightly panicked as she caught the sight of his bright red eyes.

"None of your business." He growled letting the second pair of doors slam shut in finality behind him.

The streets were clear at this time of night and he walked steadily towards the bridge leading into the Special Zone, ready to find out who was the cause of this much evil, an evil that was somewhat familiar to the ancient vampire. It was only when he grew closer that he realized it wasn't just one power but over a hundred, maybe more, that seemed to meld into one entity. Each one possessed a quality that linked it to the others causing his misunderstanding and he felt a ferocious grin slide across his face at the potential for a good fight. He hadn't had one in centuries. He had been away when the Kowloon attack happened in HongKong and then had been taking care of his own infestation when the main fight happened during the second outbreak. His manor was still being rebuilt in some places from his inferno of flames that he had set upon the place.

He was within miles of the bridge when he felt an odd pressure building up in the air around him. Confused he looked up into the sky to see the barrier that surrounded the Zone cracking as if it were about to break. Sei's magic couldn't withstand the brutal beating the mass of vampires were aiming at it as more cracks formed. Suddenly the tension that had grown as he stood there exploded, the ground shaking as if an earthquake shook the ground. As the barrier crashed apart like broken glass, a terrified scream resonated through his head causing him to drop to his knees, overwhelming fear and panic filling his body.

 _Uncle Zelman!_

"Mika," he whispered and took off towards Jiro and Mimiko's home, using his vampire speed to get him there quickly.

The sight he came upon put him in overwhelming shock. Ash, smoke, fog, and an eerie silence created a devastating backdrop to the small battleground and Zelman picked his way across the wreckage of the ground carefully as he made his way towards the building. Flames licked across the ground and at the corners of the roof of a home that had once stood there. The doorframe creaked as he stepped over the threshold. The air was filled with the acrid taste and smell of smoke and the decay of watered wood. His hand ran across the wall finding it damp to the touch and yet blackened and charred. The Mochizuki home was no longer there, in its place stood a blackened skeleton.

Stepping silently through the bottom rooms he took note of the destruction caused by the vampires that had burst through the barrier. Each and every room was charred from floor to ceiling, as if an inferno had filled the house only to be washed away by a flood of water. The ceiling caved in some places and timber and water droplets fell as he stepped across glass and splintered wood. In the kitchen he found Jiro, his head bleeding and his body slumped against the stove. Quickly he stooped to make sure the man was all right and let out a breath when he felt the air brush his fingers near Jiro's lips. He stood and crossed to the staircase, picking his way up, stepping over holes and bodies of ash. The top floor wasn't as badly damaged as the bottom and he hoped against all hope that both Mimiko and Mika were all right and hidden in a room somewhere safe.

He went through all the rooms noting the ransacked look to all of them until he came to Mika's, the door hanging off the hinges. He pushed it aside with a loud creak and stepped into the darkened room, a feeling of dread settling into the pit of his stomach as he looked at the blood that covered the walls, the piles of ash that were strewn about, the large hole in the roof, and the charred furnishings. His heart clenched as he realized he saw no sign of either Mika or her mother. He stared hard at the piles of ash; fear causing his blood to pound and his breath to grow short in his chest.

They couldn't be dead! He heard Mika's terrified scream echo through his head once again and shuddered, his hands clenching into fists as pain washed over him, his teeth gritting until his fang cut his lip, causing a small trail of blood to flow to his chin. He promised to protect her, he failed, he let her and her family down. What was he going to do? How was he going to tell Jiro that the love of his life and daughter were dead? Suddenly he heard a moan and rushed to the other side of the large bed, finding Mimiko, her clothes soaked with blood and her body badly battered. Holding her up he pushed back her long dark hair and tried to bring her to consciousness.

"Mimiko! Mimiko, wake up!" he gently shook her, needing to know where Mika was.

She came around slowly, her brow furrowing before her eyes opened wide and she shot up, "MIKA!" she cried before she fell back into his arms holding her head. "Oh, God."

"What happened?" Zelman urged.

"I-I don't know," Mimiko stammered her brow furrowing as she tried to recall just a few moments ago, "we had just put Mika to bed when we felt the barrier being attacked. Jiro and I were immediately alarmed and grabbed our weapons just as the barrier broke. The shockwave knocked us to our knees and then there were vampires everywhere. Jiro and I fought them off until we realized they wanted Mika. Jiro made me take her upstairs to hide her in the closet as he fought those below. They used powers Zelman! I've only seen you, me, and Sei do the things they did. I fought off the ones that came through the bedroom door but I never expected them to come through the roof," she nodded at the gaping hole above, "they overpowered me. Oh God! Where's my baby? Where's Jiro?" she cried, tears creating white streaks down her soot-covered face.

"Don't worry about Jiro, he's downstairs unconscious, he should be fine in a matter of minutes. Did the attackers say anything to you?" he asked as they began to stand, she tripped as her foot caught the edge of splintered wood and he caught her.

She shook her head regaining her footing. "No, they just asked for 'the girl' and rambled about how retribution was coming."

"Retribution?"

"I have no idea, they were rambling on about a Maxima bloodline but I didn't really understand, I was too busy fending them off." She sighed as they finally reached downstairs. She gasped as she took in her surroundings her tears welling up once again as she took in the disaster that was her home. "Well," she said and gave him a watery smile, "Jiro and I did say we were needing to move closer to you guys, guess we have the incentive now."

Zelman gave a soft smile to see that Mimiko wasn't totally crushed by this outcome. "You may stay with me until a place is found for you."

"Thank you, we will take you up on that offer." Jiro groaned as he stumbled into the living room from the kitchen holding his head.

"Jiro!" Mimiko cried, hobbling quickly over to him and giving him a kiss. He set her down and looked around her, a stricken expression coming over his face, "Where's Mika?"

"They took her," Mimiko whispered as her tears slipped over her cheeks once again and she buried her face into Jiro's chest. Zelman watched as Jiro pulled his wife deeper into his arms and as his eyes took on a watery sheen as well.

"We've got to find her," Jiro stated looking at Zelman.

"Don't worry." He replied, "The necklace I gave her is infused with my powers from my bloodline, as long as she wears it, I'll be able to find her."

"How soon till we can leave?" Jiro replied as Mimiko said "We're coming with you."

"I think it's best if I go alone, it will give you time to recover from your injuries and replenish yourselves. I shall leave after I make a quick phone call to Saiyuka and Sei to let them know of the situation." He said turning back towards his home

"You'll find her? Promise?" Mimiko murmured her hand catching his arm.

"I promise I'll find her and bring her back." His face broke into a sinister grin as he pinpointed the direction in which Mika lay, "And as for whoever did this, I shall revel in killing them slowly and painfully."

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back! I've been going through a lot these past few years but hopefully I can get this story up and published for you guys. It's mostly completed, which is why I've decided to post the chapters at least weekly. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A New Dawn

That night soon turned to days and Zelman found himself traveling through the forest at midday. He glared towards the treetops, his eyes shadowed by the bright green leaves and face speckled by the light coming through. He had been traveling for a week now and had just traveled overseas into China. He was growing weary and frustrated, for as soon as he had arrived he lost the signal on Mika's necklace. He was also growing worried for he cared for the little girl dearly and at least with the signal he knew in which direction she lie. Now he was left with no way of finding her. He paused as he looked up into the trees, letting his pack slide from his shoulder as he removed his hat. He wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed placing the hat in his pack and taking out his pill bottle. Quickly taking one dry before beginning again.

Suddenly he felt a mass of vampires and magic nearby. They had the same type of blood that the group he had been following had. Curious, he changed his direction and stalked closer, his ears perked for any kind of sound. Within moments he came across a clearing and paused, his eyes narrowing slightly at the scene before him.

Surrounded by two dozen vampires stood a woman with a large horse. From the look of her slightly gaudy appearance and scarved figure she was a gypsy. A dark burnt orange scarf pulled her long, dark, maroon hair back and her golden tunic was billowed with puffed sleeves. She wore black pants with tall brown boots and a light brown belt with a sheath around her waist. She wore bangles around her wrists and gold earrings, similar to his own, which sparkled on her light olive complexion.

She stood holding the reins of her large black and white Gypsy Vanner in one hand and a silver sword in the other. He focused his gaze on her face as she looked up and felt his heart stutter as their eyes met. They burned the same as his, with a crimson flame only known in his bloodline. Her heart shaped face held a pert nose, arched eyebrows, plump lips, high cheekbones, and a stubborn chin. She looked around at the vampires distastefully before glancing in his direction and arching a brow.

Zelman's gaze shifted as one of the vampires, presumably the leader, stepped forward. He was of average height and covered head to toe in black. The only sign of color was his hair, which was an unnatural shade of bluish purple. "Are you the one they call 'Roxanne, The Dawn of Fire'?" he growled, his voice sounding mangled like when Zelman's subordinate had been given diluted Kowloon blood.

"Who wants to know?" She replied her eyes narrowing as she turned towards the speaker.

"The leader of the Maxima's!" he said righteously and Zelman's ears perked up at the name.

"Oh," the girl replied thoughtfully, "if that's who is asking; then no, I'm not she."

Zelman smirked and she glanced towards him again.

"Don't you dare take your eyes from me." The man yelled as he launched towards her, an axe raised for battle in his hand.

Still keeping eye contact with Zelman she blocked the axe with her sword before countering and slicing his arm clean off. The vampire screamed in agony as he held his smoking stub, before yelling at his companions to attack. Sliding her gaze from his, she fought them back, using her sword with expert precision.

Zelman leaned back against a tree and watched her as she fought them off. He was quite impressed with her skills and had a feeling she wasn't even using her full strength against them. His smirk faded, however, when he noticed the patterns she used when swinging her sword, patterns only taught by he himself to his men.

As if his gaze unnerved her she glanced back in his direction, her bright red eyes shining with curiosity and the fierceness of battle. Zelman felt his groin tighten at the look in her eyes. With the amount of passion she was displaying in her fighting skills he could just imagine how passionate she would be in response to him. As if reading his thoughts her cheeks flushed and her eyes broke away from his.

Taking her distraction as an advantage, a young vampire knocked the sword from her hand. Zelman stood up straight, ready to aid her when he once again felt the pendant's presence nearby. His head swung to the right focusing on the direction in which he felt it. He made to step forward when a bright light and sharp cry caught his notice from the clearing. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the same vampire who had knocked her sword away consumed in flames. His gaze jerked back to the woman and he watched in amazement as her eyes began glowing bright red. Her gaze shifted between the vampires who had not yet met her sword, and with each glance the vampire burst into flames, dropping to their knees and screaming in agony, begging for mercy. She stared at them without pity or remorse as they were incinerated before her.

When the last one had perished, she stooped to pick up her sword and turned to her horse, sliding the blade into the sheath by her side. When she stepped into the stirrup he began making his way towards her, brows furrowed with confusion. She swung into the saddle and he ran to catch up as she began turning her horse. Suddenly she snapped her gaze towards him, her eyes glowing bright red and he responded in kind.

A small explosion lit the air between them before sputtering out. The horse reared slightly before calming under her gentle touch. They stared at each other for a few moments in silence. Zelman took the time to take in his fill of her, and he liked what he saw. Granted he liked almost any woman who was feisty, but he absolutely enjoyed a curvy woman with a nice rack. And she had both. His gaze turned lascivious and lazy as his casual smirk crawled across his features.

She licked her lips nervously before speaking, her voice icy, "What do _you_ want?"

Zelman slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, leaning slightly backwards. "Hmm… you." He said seductively, letting his eyes tell her how much. She flushed and glared, turning away.

"Get lost gaucho, I'm the last thing you'd want."

"Ah, but I believe that's a lie. In fact I know it is. I want you very much my flaming rose." He stepped closer.

"You can't have me!" She snapped at him, her hair whipping around her shoulders as she turned to leave.

With his vampire speed he quickly stepped into the stirrup, his face within inches of hers and his eyes filled with a fire not seen in years. Using her own vampire speed, Roxanne leapt off and ran towards the surrounding trees, abandoning her horse. Eyes widening with the thrill of the hunt he took off after her.

She was quite agile as she darted through the trees and leapt over small brooks. Zelman chased after her, growing closer with each step until he was within reaching distance. She cried out as he grabbed her arm and spun her around, pining her against a tree with his body plastered against hers, her arms raised above her head. He looked deeply into her wide eyes, his narrowed in humor.

"Looks like I can." He murmured before leaning forward to nuzzle her neck. Her spicy, cinnamon and vanilla scent engulfed his senses and caused his groin to tighten. He nuzzled her neck again, her silky hair brushing his face and causing more of her scent to fill the air.

"I wouldn't if I were you Crimson." She murmured back and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Pulling back, he kept her arms pinned and his body completely against hers, feeling her curves cushioned against him and her body heat warming his own. "And why shouldn't I? Dawn of Fire, wasn't it?"

"You play with fire and you're liable to get burned." She glared and shifted, her breasts pressing up against his chest and her cleavage peeking from below her tunic.

"Lucky for you," he whispered, "I never do."

And as if a strong force was pulling them together, his lips met hers in a searing kiss he felt all the way to his toes. Her wine colored eyes fluttered shut as she moaned opening her mouth and angling her head slightly to receive his burning tongue. He gladly surged in, conquering her mouth with his as one hand drifted down to cup the back of her head. He leaned in closer, molding his body over hers as sparks of fire rolled through him and a memory tingled at the edge of his mind.

Roxanne moaned again and tangled her tongue with his, sucking on the muscle slightly and pulling a groan from him as well. She couldn't believe she was kissing Zelman Clock.

When she had first spotted him across the clearing she had been slightly shocked. She hadn't seen him for years, centuries even, and he suddenly showed up just as she was attacked, like some sort of wicked prince. For a moment she was nostalgic, remembering that day, so long ago, when he had come to her. That memory had cost her sword, and she was forced to use the Asura fire inherited in her blood. She rarely used it, for fear of more Maxima vampires finding her trail and to keep Zelman from finding her, the only other single Asura descendant beside herself that lived this side of the continent.

She shifted again and pulled away with a gasp as the bark behind her dug roughly into her back. Their breaths mingled between them as they panted, each staring into the others eyes. His eyes narrowed and his face grew seriously grim and puzzled. "Who are you?"

And with that she felt her heart shut down and her mind restore itself to the cold being she had become since that day so long ago. He didn't remember her? Of course! If he couldn't remember a promise then he would never remember the one he promised it too. "No one of importance." She replied breaking free of his hands and pushing him back.

"You are of great importance if you are of my bloodline." He growled ignoring her push.

She glared at him, her mouth forming a tight line. He stared back at her with an equally fierce glare before she looked away, her eyes falling shut. Sighing she replied. "I am known as The Lady of the Golden Flame, Dawn of Fire, and Princess of the Asura Bloodline," she mocked a bow, "Roxanne Cross," she nodded her head regally, "at your service, Crimson-Eye Zelman."

 **Author's Note: Well another chapter done! Let me know what you guys think about Roxanne and the plot so far! Look forward to more chapters soon!**


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